The price of the diabetes drug empagliflozin, also known as Jardiance, has been significantly reduced by almost one-tenth in India. The drug, developed by German pharma giant Boehringer Ingelheim, is used to control blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. The original price of the drug was around Rs 60 per tablet, but with the entry of its generic versions in the market, it is now available for as low as Rs 5.5 per tablet.
Mankind, Alkem, and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals have launched generic versions of empagliflozin, with prices starting from Rs 5.49 per tablet for the 10 mg variant. These prices are nearly 80% lower than the original price of the innovator product. The generic versions of the drug come with additional features, such as anti-counterfeit security bands, patient education information, and QR codes that provide prescribing information and additional patient education.
The launch of these generic versions of empagliflozin is a significant step in making the drug more affordable for millions of Indians who are suffering from type 2 diabetes. India is known as the diabetes capital of the world, with over 10 crore people diagnosed with the disease, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research–India Diabetes (ICMR INDIAB) study in 2023. Reducing the cost of anti-diabetes medicines like empagliflozin is a crucial step in tackling the disease burden in the country.